University of Iowa Receives $25 Million Naming Gift

December 8, 2015

The has announced a $25 million gift from alumnus Jerre Stead and his wife, Mary Joy, to further pediatric medicine at the university.

The gift from the Steads, who are co-chairing the university's $1.7 billion fundraising campaign, will help fund completion of the new UI Children's Hospital building and support faculty, staff, and researchers who are making new discoveries, working to improve education and patient treatments, and advancing understanding and awareness of pediatric diseases. In recognition of the gift, the hospital will be renamed the Stead Family University of Iowa Children's Hospital.

A 1965 graduate of the , Jerre Stead is chair and CEO of , a data and analytics company, and serves on the boards of numerous nonprofit organizations, including the in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the at . Mary Joy Stead serves on the board of the and is active on its development committee. Over the past thirty years, the Steads have contributed $53.9 million to the university, including $10 million to establish the .

"Jerre and Mary Joy's support throughout the years has benefited every aspect of the care our UI Children’s Hospital staff has provided, has bolstered our research and teaching, and is helping us to build our new, state-of-the art facility," said Jean Robillard, UI vice president for medical affairs. "I can think of no more fitting way to recognize Jerre and Mary Joy's transformative giving — which allows us to continue providing the exceptional, high-quality care Iowans have come to expect — than with the naming of our children’s hospital."